Merlin's Box
by dismiss
Summary: Hermione uses a mythical device that changes her identity and transports her back to the Marauders era. An eleven year old Hermione Rose Evans will do anything in her power to prevent the future she came from. AU. Eventual HGSB, JPLE. Romance/Comedy/Drama.
1. Chapter 1- The Box

**A/N: Hey, guys! Before you start, I just want to clear one thing up. Hermione will be more confident and sarcastic in this fanfic. Sorry about that. I know it's a bit OOC; I just feel that it's necessary. I mean, having knowledge of the future would do that to a person, wouldn't it? Okay, I think that's it. Let me know, if you have any questions, complaints, or suggestions. Compliments are preferred, but criticism is always welcome (and will be analysed). Thank you :) **

**Random note: I do not, by all means, am trying to imply that the idea of Hermione going back in time and starting all over is original (there are a lot of fanfictions that start this way). This story was inspired by all of the Hermione time-travel fics. In particular, I would like to thank the authors of Roundabout Destiny and the Thief of Time for inspiring me. If you guys haven't read them – do (although, the author of the Thief of Time stopped uploading in 2009, after 10 chapters). I've read the Thief of Time a couple of years ago, and the idea was really interesting (though I don't think Harry would ever sacrifice Hermione for selfish reasons, but maybe I misunderstood it). It was, after all, one of the first fics to take that direction. However, Roundabout destiny was the story that inspired me to write one of my own. Seeing Hermione as a really strong character was refreshing. Originally, I wanted Hermione to travel back to Voldemort's time (which is the story that I will probably write afterwards), but I love Hermione/Sirius pairing too much. On the other note, the plot of this story IS my original idea, and I hope you will like it. **

**Disclaimer: As much as I would love to, I do not own anything you recognise.**

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><p><strong>Merlin's Box<strong>

Chapter 1 – The Box

She's been searching and preparing for ages. Three long years, if one cared enough to count. Hell, she couldn't even say the word 'research' anymore, it made her sick. Hmm, wasn't that ironic? Miss little know-it-all, _the _bookworm, fed up with her studies. Hermione would have laughed, if it wasn't so damn sad. She must have read all the books in the wizarding world, watched every single memory even remotely connected to Voldemort, and mastered both wandless and nonverbal magic (as well as every imaginable duel technique). Not to mention the physical training nightmare she had to go through. To sum up, Hermione was annoyed, irritated, tired, and completely exhausted. But she was close, so bloody close. Therefore, she refused to give up now, not when she finally knew and had everything needed to change this mess. There was only one thing left to do.

Hermione said her goodbyes and focused on the three D's.

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><p>The cottage looked just as it did three years ago – as if someone took it out of the muggle fairy tale and put it there. It was literally the house that Hermione imagined every time her mom read her a bed-time story with a witch in it. It simply screamed the word 'magic' at you. Then again, maybe Hermione just looked at it differently because she knew who used to live there. Of course, it wasn't like the current owner was any less.. <em>intriguing<em>. Ah, Mrs. Aurora Gamp. She held a lot of respect in Hermione's heart. After all, Aurora managed to give her much needed hope; even if it was done in the most unconventional way.

Before Hermione had time to take a trip down the memory lane, the doors swung open, and, just like three years ago, Mrs. Gamp stepped out. She was wearing an emerald green gown that emphasised her red lips and abnormally curly blond hair. However, this time it was not irritation Hermione saw in those captivating green eyes, but rather recognition and excitement.

"Ah, Hermione, long time no see! Please, do come in." Aurora greeted her.

She led Hermione to the living room, where they settled on the couch in front of the fireplace. Hermione saw two cups of tea already waiting for them on the coffee table nearby. _Impressive. _She also noticed the way Aurora was eyeing her up and down. _Hmm, maybe it wasn't such a great idea to drop by unannounced. She doesn't seem too happy about it._

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Gamp. I apologize for not sending an owl in advance." Hermione started.

"Oh, don't worry, Hermione, it's great to have you here." Aurora waved her off. "But if I might add, you look rather tired. How are you, my child?" She added after a pause. There was an obvious concern in her eyes. _Hell, I must look way worse than I thought._

"I don't think you would like my honest answer, so I am just going to settle on 'fine'." Hermione answered with a sad smile. "And how are you today, Mrs. Gamp?" She added quickly.

"I'm rather well, thank you, dear." Mrs. Gamp answered and Hermione was instantly reminded of Mrs. Weasley. "Now, am I right to assume that this is not a social visit and you're finally ready?" She put in.

Was Hermione ready? She did not know. She thought about it a lot in the past few years. To be perfectly honest, how can you be ready to alter the history? How can you be ready to feel responsible for all of the changes? Though it couldn't get any worse, could it? _Not likely_. Then again, was 'not likely' enough? Was she prepared to risk everything for the possibility of a new and brighter future? _Yes_. The answer was rather obvious. It was the _only_ answer, really. The alternative was simply not acceptable. Too many people have died for her to feel scared and cautious. She was ready.

Seeing Hermione's nod, Aurora smiled brightly and exclaimed, "Let's go!"

Hermione followed her. She couldn't help but laugh at the eagerness of the older witch. After all, she was just as excited. Terrified, of course, but excited nonetheless. This was it. This was where, hopefully, all of her hard work, tears, and pain would pay off. She has been waiting for this opportunity since the day Harry died.

_-__**Flashback**__-_

_Harry Potter was killed. Five years after he defeated the darkest wizard to ever walk on this earth, Harry Potter was killed by the very same brainless idiot he once helped to save – Gregory Goyle. Apparently, Harry was walking down the Diagon alley with his heavily pregnant wife Ginevra, when, all of a sudden and seemingly out of nowhere, Goyle appeared and started shouting some nonsense about everything being Harry's fault, adding how he deserved to suffer as much as Goyle did (later on it was discovered, that Goyle's wife left him for a muggleborn wizard Justin Finch-Fletchey). He then shot the killing curse in Ginny's direction. However, before anyone had time to react, Harry jumped in front of his wife and took the hit. And that was it. That was the end of Harry Potter. _

_Nobody could believe it. It just wasn't fair. How, for the sake of Merlin, could this have happened? How could Harry Potter, a.k.a. the boy-who-lived, the chosen one, the youngest head auror in the century, and the saviour of the wizarding world, have been killed by Gregory Goyle, a.k.a. the guy who wasn't even capable of spelling his own surname? And during the time of peace… Ridiculous! But then again, it _was_ understandable. Everyone knew that Harry would have sacrificed anything if it meant Ginny's safety, not to mention the safety of their son. And, as a head auror, he would have known that there was no other scenario in which Ginny would survive without harming the child. She couldn't just jump out of the way; she _was_ seven months pregnant, after all. _

_Harry's death changed everything. For some reason, the Death Eaters considered Harry to be the only reason they couldn't avenge their Dark Lord and gain the power once more. Therefore, when that obstacle was removed, they decided to try again._

_The next four years, were the worst England has ever seen. It was better when Voldemort was in power. At least _his_ attacks were planned and targeted specific people. There was a possibility to stop them, before anyone was hurt. Plus, he was the leader of the dark side. That meant that with his death, all would end. And it did. But now… the only word to describe this was 'chaos'. Attacks were random. To be honest, they weren't even attacks. More often than not, Death Eaters were killing out of boredom. Consequently, people were killed for visiting the Diagon Alley at the wrong time. Nobody knew what was happening, they just knew to be ready at all times. But the worst of it all was that nobody knew how to stop it. It didn't matter how many Death Eaters were captured, they just kept going and slaughtering people. World was becoming a dark place where wizards would get scared of their own shadows. It wasn't great for the Death Eaters either. Nobody on the 'light' side played with the stunning or disarming spells anymore. New motto of the wizarding world was 'kill or be killed'. _

_The saddest thing was that both sides just wanted for it all to end, but neither one of them wanted to give up. _

_When Hermione wasn't fighting, she was trying to find something that could end this. She was thinking on the lines of some kind of mass-memory-alteration type of thing, or a way to capture all people with the same tattoos at once. Needless to say, she didn't have much luck. But she never gave up. Once she was done at Hogwarts, she continued in the Black family library. She didn't even care that most of the books there were as dark as it gets. If she found something useful, she would use it. Her moral compass broke a long time ago, and she was pretty desperate. _

_Despite her determination, she couldn't find anything of use. Most of the books were talking about torture or poisons of some sort. Nothing she couldn't find in the restricted section at Hogwarts. She was quite disappointed. All that was left were some legends, myths, and that sort of stuff. _

_Not expecting much, she opened 'Magical Myths and Lost Treasures'. It was a long shot, but a shot nonetheless. The book discussed most of the real and mythical valuables with magical properties. It included descriptions of founders' relics, as well as some of the more practical devices, such as time-turners. Suddenly, her eyes focused on one particular page and it became hard to breathe. Was it what she thought it was?_

**MERLIN'S BOX**

**CREATOR****: Merlin (allegedly).**

**MAIN PURPOSE****: Time travel and alteration of history.**

**FIRST MENTION****:**_** A **_**_Story of a Young Muggle-Born Named Arthur_**** (Geoffrey Pendragon, 1138).**

**SIGNIFICANCE****: Differently from other devices, Merlin's Box is thought to be the only mechanism capable of avoiding any and all time travel paradoxes.**

**CONFIRMED USERS****: None. **

**SUSPECTED USERS****: King Arthur, Edwin Malory, Baba Yaga, Pontus Telchine.**

**SUSPECTED PROBLEMS****: Only five boxes were made; the user can only use the device once; no possibility of coming back; time period travelled is, most likely, chosen by The Box; new identity is chosen by The Box; The Box is capable of refusing service, if it considers the user unworthy. **

**EXPECTED LOCATION****: According to the legend, "One has to go to the place where the finest student of the greatest four, has lost his heart to the woman on the other shore."**

**DISCLAIMER****_: Provided information has not been confirmed, and is provided solely for learning purposes._**

_Hermione was flabbergasted. She stayed on the couch, eyes still transfixed on the page, for what seemed like an hour. When she finally realised what all of that meant, she couldn't believe her luck. This was what she was looking for. They could change it, all of it. Well, no. Hermione would have to change it. She was the only one who could._

_She would kill Voldemort, before he even became powerful. Dumbledore, Snape, Fred, Lupin, Tonks, Sirius, George, Harry, and countless others would get a second chance at happiness. _She_ would get a chance at happiness. _

_Of course, there were some major flaws in her plan. For one, if she understood correctly, nobody knew if the thing actually worked. It was featured in a legend, for Merlin's sake. Then again, if Hermione learned one thing from legends, it was that they were always at least partly true. But even if the Box actually existed, what were the chances that there was a single Box left? There were four suspected users already. Plus, how could Hermione know whether or not the Box would consider her _worthy?_ And she couldn't even know how far back the damn thing would send her anyway. And what did the 'identity change' mean? _

_There were way too many questions and no reassurances whatsoever. But it was the only way to change something, wasn't it? She could either put all her effort and hope into this, or keep on trying to survive, and pray for the current madness to end. For her, the latter wasn't even an option._

_Hermione took her wand out and conjured a messenger patronus. _

_"__Ron, get everyone and meet me at 5pm in the Grimmauld's Place. I found something." Hermione said quickly and dismissed her otter. _

_She didn't know why she said 'everyone'. Only a handful of people from the order were still alive. To clear up, the following meeting would involve five people – Ginny, Ron, Hermione, Bill, and Arthur. Not the best action team, if she was being honest, but it was all they had._

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><p><em>"<em>_Hermione, I don't think that this is such a good idea. Maybe we should focus on changing the present." Bill started, when Hermione finished her story and showed them the book. "I understand where you are coming from, but this would be too risky. You wouldn't even know how far back it would send you." He continued. "Perhaps, if you are so keen on time travel, we could think of another way to do this." He added after seeing Hermione's furious expression. "We just need to talk things out and we will have a plan of action in no time. Focusing on the box would just be a waste of time." _

_"__This meeting is a waste of time. I thought you guys would be thrilled to know that there could be a way to stop everything. To start all over. Time travel is our only hope and you know it." Hermione could feel the anger rising. "And what do you mean 'another way to do this'? Do you honestly believe that we know all the theories and concepts behind the time travel, not to mention the means for it, to actually-" _

_"__What about a time turner?" Ron interrupted. "I mean, I know the Ministry said that they were all destroyed, but I bet there is at least one left somewhere, right 'Mione? Or we could make one!" His voice echoed through the room. For some reason Ron seemed to be proud of his little 'revelation'. _Idiot. No wonder, we didn't last long as a couple.

_"__Ron," Hermione said while rubbing her temples and wondering how long it will take for her to completely lose it. "Since I am your friend, I will not laugh in your face and hex your pants off for the rude interruption, but explain why that idea is not even worth to be called an 'idea'." _Breathe, Hermione, breathe. Being mean won't get you far. _"First of all, no, there are NO time turners left. Second of all, it would take about a year to make a fully functional time turner; and the slightest miscalculation could lead to a horrible death while attempting to use it. Finally, even if we _miraculously _found a time turner lying on the ground or took the time to make a successful one, it wouldn't change a thing. You want to know why? Because a time-turner can only go back twenty-four hours and that WOULD NOT FIX OUR PROBLEMS, NOW WOULD IT, RONALD?!" She shouted. _So much for being nice.

_"__Okay, guys, calm down." Mr. Weasley interrupted. "This is not the time for arguments. We have to stay strong, if we want to stay alive. Now, Hermione," He focused his attention on the girl. "Your idea, risky as it might be, could be the best option we have." Sensing Bill's disapproving look, he added, "I think we should at least investigate whether or not it is possible to do it. Do you have any idea, how we could determine the location of the Box?" He asked Hermione. _

_"__I already have." She started with a hint of pride in her voice, all anger forgotten. "It was kind of easy, really. The 'finest student of the greatest four' is obviously Merlin. Everyone knows that he went to Hogwarts and was taught by the founders themselves." Arthur and the others nodded at that. It was a well-known fact that the students of Hogwarts were quite proud of. "The second part confused me, though." She continued. "I couldn't understand any of it for a long time. And then it all clicked. You see, the author used muggle references in the hint. If you looked into the wizarding literature, there is not much said about Merlin's personal life, not to mention his love life. In the muggle legends, however, Merlin was in love with Vivien of Avalon, also known as the Lady of the Lake, or in this case, 'the woman on the other shore'." She cleared up. "In the end, after he taught her all that he knew, she killed him and became the most powerful witch of that time. The full story has quite a few different versions, but this is the outline." _

_"__So we need to look for the place where he was killed?" Arthur tried to follow._

_"__We could, but I think that would be a mistake" She answered. "I believe that when the author said 'lost his heart', he meant 'gave it away'. I think we need a place, where Merlin fell in love with Vivien. And, according to the legend, that would be the Lake Avalon. I suppose that's why he used the shore reference." Hermione added thoughtfully. _

_"__Alright. It seems that you've covered almost everything." Arthur smiled. "All that we need to do now, is decide who should be the one to do this. If I understood correctly, there might be only one Box left-"_

_"__I'll do it." Ginny suddenly stood up, surprising everyone. "I should be the one to fix it. All of this is my fault anyway. I am the reason we even need to go back."_

_"__Ginny, do not blame yourself for Harry's death." Hermione said, before anyone else had time to react. "If you want to blame anyone, blame Goyle. He was the one who cast the curse. You had nothing to do with it, so don't you dare take the blame or try and sacrifice yourself." She added. "Plus, it wouldn't work anyway, because I am the one who has to do it."_

_"__Why does it _have_ to be you?" Ron asked. "Just because you found the information, you don't have to be the one to go."_

_"__Yes, I do. Don't you see? I am the only person in here, who has nothing to lose." She said ignoring Ron's protests. "All of you would lose much more if you chose to do this. Think about it." She added and looked at the youngest Weasley. "Ginny, if you did this, you probably would lose a chance to be with Harry ever again, to have James. I cannot let you do this to yourself." Hermione told her and turned to the others. It was sad to think that out of all of them, she was the only one with nothing going on in her life. She was twenty seven years old, and was loved only by her cat. She tried to blame it on the war, but everyone else seemed capable of living their lives despite everything. Even Ron and Luna got together and were expecting their second child. She had no one. _

_But now was not the time to cry about her life. _

_ "__As I was saying, I will be the one to go." She said after a pause. "That is, if the Box will consider me 'worthy'. If not, then we will have this discussion again." Hermione finished with an authoritative tone. _

_"__Are you sure about this?" Arthur asked. "It is a big commitment."_

_"__I am sure." Hermione replied annoyed. She was still, in spite of everything, the brightest witch of her age. Of course she knew how big this was. "But let's not get ahead of ourselves, shall we? We don't even know if the box works." She continued. "I will go to the Lake and see if there is anything there that could give us more information. Afterwards, I will report back. Is that alright with everyone?" _

_After everyone reluctantly agreed, she thanked them and went to get her things. She decided to leave straight away. Staying here any longer would only give others more opportunities to try and talk her out of going. _

_Once she had everything, Hermione apparated to Hogsmeade. It was the closest place to the Lake Avalon that she could imagine clearly enough for apparition. Once she was there, she went to the Hog's Head and borrowed a broom. Flying was the fastest way to get there. _

_It was funny how much Hermione has changed since the Second War. She became the epitome of bravery. She knew that in order to survive and save lives, she had to throw away all her fears. Therefore, the girl who was once too scared to even look at the broom was long gone. _

_It wasn't a big step, though. Once she got over her initial fear of heights, Hermione enjoyed flying quite a bit. And she was good at it too. She wasn't scared to go as fast as was possible; plus, due to her knowledge of Physics, she could avoid the hardest obstacles without slowing down. It helped her to avoid death many times in the past few years. _

_After mounting the broom and casting a few spells (which included all kinds of safety, cushioning and muggle repellent charms), she started her long journey._

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><p><em>She was walking around the lake for what seemed to be an eternity. There was nothing out of the ordinary. She even jumped into the stupid thing. Nothing! How was that possible? She was so sure it was here. How could she save the world, if she couldn't even solve a simple riddle?<em>

_Hermione was almost ready to apparate home, cry, and start all over, when she noticed the passage that led to a forest nearby._

"_Please be it, please be it."_ _She repeated the sentence like a mantra on her way there. _

_After a few minutes of walking down the path, it let her to a cottage-type house. The sight made Hermione's jaw drop. _

"_Oh, that's definitely it." She concluded. _

_Hermione couldn't understand what made the house so spectacular. It did have peculiar features, i.e. triangle shaped windows, and the oddly shaped plants/flowers all around that were definitely not the typical _floras _of a simple forest in Scotland. It made it look like a fairy-tale house. You could know that there was something strange going on in here, just by looking at it. _

_Amused, she reached the door and knocked on it three times. What really surprised her was that the door opened straight away and a woman's voice invited her in. _

_Once she was inside, she noticed the woman sitting in the living room on her left. She looked amazing. The woman had a navy blue robe on, and her make-up was flawless. Even her hair seemed to make the woman look as a goddess, albeit as bushy and curly, as Hermione's once were. The only thing that didn't seem right, was the expression in her face when she looked at Hermione. The woman was shamelessly eyeing Hermione up and down, while her eyes showed obvious disapproval and irritation. _

_"__What do you want?" The woman asked straight away._

_"__Oh. Um, hello." Hermione started hesitantly. "My name is Hermione Granger. I came here today, to ask you about the Merlin's Box." The last part sounded more as question. _

_"__Merlin's Box? You don't say" The woman replied sarcastically. "And what would you like to know about the said device?" She said in a tone that one would use only in a presence of a child. _

_"__I have quite a few questions, actually." Hermione answered with a new found confidence. She didn't appreciate the woman's manners; however, she had to be nice, if she wanted to see the Box at some point. _

_"__Let's hear them then." The woman challenged her with an amused expression. It seemed as if Hermione's confidence made the woman respect her more. _

_"__Alright." Hermione put in and took a deep breath before speaking. "Are there any boxes left? Can more than one person use the Box? How does it avoid all of the paradoxes? What does the 'new identity' mean? Is it possible to choose how far back you can travel? How does the Box determine whether a person is worthy? Is it painful? And Finally, Who are you?" Hermione finished with no air in her lungs. _

_"__You know, I'm starting to like you, child." The woman laughed. "Take a seat. I'll get you something to drink and we'll start." She added. _

_Once Hermione was seated and had a cup of tea in her hands, the woman continued. "Well, first of all, my Name is Mrs. Aurora Gamp. I am the guardian of Merlin's Boxes, as well as a current resident of this house. It used to belong to Vivien of Avalon, and that is why the Boxes were all in here." She paused to see if Hermione understood what she was talking about. After Hermione's nod, she continued. "Now, there is only one box left and, unfortunately, it can only serve one person." She added with a sad smile. "Okay, next question." Aurora continued. "The paradox stuff is rather hard to explain, but I will try my best. You see, when a person uses the Box, his soul and magic is transported. The user finds himself in a new body. The new body should be of the same gender, and have a few similar features, but most of it would be different. Merlin called it the 'fresh start factor'." Mrs. Gamp chuckled. "I guess that also answers your identity question." She added. "And yes, once the old memories hit the new body, it would most likely result in a relatively painful migraine for around half an hour. But it's noting a normal person couldn't handle." She shrugged. "Anyway, continuing with the paradoxes. Think about the box as about a mechanism that creates a new reality, without the original you in it. In other words, you were born in the time the Box chose for you, and that's it." Aurora said as if all of that made perfect sense. "And no, you cannot choose which year you are going to. You will only find that out, once you're already there." She put in. "There are some good news, though." She added seeing Hermione's obvious disappointment. "The Box will not put the user in a time that would not be relevant to the reason he was seeking the box in the first place. Let me use a simple example for this." Aurora added quickly, after Hermione gave her a questioning look. "If you wanted to use the box, because your favourite uncle lost his wand when he was five, the box would not send you back further than when you couldn't prevent that from happening. It would, however, choose a period in that time range, which would suit your personal needs, and the needs of those around you, the most. Basically, it puts you in the time you want, as well as the time you're needed in. Is that clear?" She asked._

_"__Yes actually. Thank you." Hermione answered. _

_"__That's great." Aurora smiled. "Now, the 'worthy' part is the easiest one to explain." She continued. "The Box simply searches your mind for the required qualities, i.e. compassion, determination, intelligence, etc. Simple, really." She waved it off. After a second, her face lit up with excitement. "Now, I think that's it. Would you like to see the box?" _

_Hermione nodded enthusiastically and followed Mrs. Gamp to the room further down the corridor. _

_When she finally saw the Box, she couldn't help but feel a little bit disappointed. Hermione expected something grand and magnificent. Like the house. Instead, there was a medium-sized, simple-looking, black metal, cubic-shaped box. It had some carving on it, but it was nothing significant. And then a thought hit Hermione. Who cares how the Box looked. It could help her change the history. Once she realised that, the Box seemed to become much more precious looking. _

_"__Okay, Hermione. Just put your hands on the Box and we will see if you can use it" Mrs. Gamp looked at the girl expectantly. When she saw Hermione's hesitant expression, she continued. "Don't worry, dear, it will not transport you straight away. For that you would have to open it." She explained. "For now, we will only determine if it considers you worthy. So go ahead." Aurora tried to encourage the girl._

_Hermione calmed herself down and put her hands on the Box. After a few moments the box started glowing yellow. _

_"__Well, isn't that interesting." Aurora said, frowning a little._

_"__Does this mean that I qualify?" Hermione said hesitantly._

_"__Yes, but it also means that you're not ready and/or capable of doing it yet." She replied._

_"__Excuse me?" Hermione said angrily. _

_"__Oh, don't give me your attitude, child." Aurora rolled her eyes. "You can open it now, if you want to. It simply suggests doing some additional preparation for the journey, so you could actually achieve something."_

_"__How can I do additional preparation, if I don't even know which time period I will land in?" Hermione all but shouted. _

_"__That might be true." The woman said calmly. "However, you do know your mission. Therefore, you could learn the basic facts that would help you in any time." She reasoned. "In addition, extra training and research wouldn't hurt you, would it?" _

_"__Oh. Uh, Yes, certainly." Hermione answered, feeling like an idiot. Of course she should get all the information available. She should even try and get memories of everyone involved. Aurora was right, if she was doing it, she might as well do it right. "I apologise for my rudeness. You are right, of course." Hermione blushed. "I should go and get started." She finished. _

_"__Nice to see you finally came to your senses." Mrs. Gamp replied sounding amused. "Take as long as you need. Once the box chooses the user, it will not consider anyone else." She assured Hermione and led her to the door. _

_"__That is really good to know." Hermione relaxed. "Thank you for everything, Mrs. Gamp. I hope to see you soon" She added. _

_"__I am sure you will, dear." Aurora smiled. "Good luck." She added and went back inside. _

_Hermione looked at the house once more and apparated home. She had a lot of work to do._

_-__**End of Flashback**__-_

"Are you alright, dear?" Mrs. Gamp asked Hermione, noticing that she was a bit zoned out.

"What?" Hermione looked around the room, confused. "Yes, Mrs. Gamp, I'm fine. I was just remembering the last time I was in this room. Excuse me." She smiled shyly.

"Don't worry, darling, it's quite alright. It was a memorable visit, after all." She laughed. "Would you like to open it now, or wait for a bit and chat?" Aurora asked.

"If you do not mind, Mrs. Gamp, I would like to do it now. The suspense is killing me." Hermione answered with a laugh.

"Of course, dear; I can only imagine." The woman laughed and moved out of the way. "I wish you all the best in your journey, Hermione." She added with a smile.

"Thank you." Hermione replied and once again put her hands on the Box.

This time the Box had a bright white glow around it, which made both women smile. Hermione thought she was ready for what was about to happen, and the Box confirmed it. _Talk about a confidence boost_.

She smiled at Mrs. Gamp one last time and opened the Box. Bright blue light was the last thing Hermione saw, before she passed out.

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><p><strong>AN: Ok, that's it. What did you guys think? For some reason, I wanted Hermione to be prepared. Not too much, but enough to explain how she has some specific knowledge, i.e. where the horcruxes are. I also want to mention that the Merlin/Vivien story is actually real, though I manipulated it quite a lot. Lastly, I hope I didn't offend any of the people, who like to use time-turners in their stories. I simply needed them not to work that way for this story. Plus, it is how HISHE (how it should have ended) video doesn't have an effect on me. Anyway, thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it :) **


	2. Chapter 2- The Plan

**A/N: Thank you for giving this story a chance. I love you all! As long as at least one of you is reading, I'll continue writing :) Also, I would like to thank ****_Milchi (I had to use google translate, but it was worth it lol), LoveSpock, _****_lovinxoxo, LaurenBlack, and BeachGirl114 _****for their reviews. They made my day! :) **

**Elizabeth- Since you don't have an account, I'll try to answer here :) Well, I think a few of your first questions will be answered in this chapter (I hope you won't be disappointed). And I completely agree on the Petunia thing (not sure about the S.H.I.E.L.D thing, though. I don't want to focus on her too much). To be honest, I was planning to tackle some of her attitude problems at one point. Snape questions, however, are a bit difficult for me to answer at this moment. I have an idea of what I want to do with him, but nothing is set in stone yet. And finally, Hermione will, most definitely, end up in Gryffindor. I simply cannot see her in any other house (especially not after everything she went through). I hope that answers your questions. Let me know if you have more. **

**Anyway, here are some things to know before you continue: 1) Hermione and Lily's birthday is now on the 19****th**** of May. It's the day of mine, and I've decided to just go with it (since it has no effect on the story. Well, despite James being older than Lily). 2) In my personal opinion, Hogwarts letters arrive in the middle of July, not when kids turn eleven (After all, Harry only opened the letter on his birthday; he started receiving them before that). I don't know if all of you think the same way, so I'm just letting you know what to expect. 3) This update includes two separate chapters. Well, one and a bit, really. I wanted to explain how the box actually worked. I hope it clears things up. If not, tell me and I'll figure something out :) That's all! I hope you like it! **

**Disclaimer: Once again, I do not own anything you recognise.**

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><p>Chapter 1.5 - The Transition<p>

Merlin's Box is a peculiar device. If Hermione had read '_The Story of a muggle-born named Arthur', _she would know what to expect. Alas, she was too busy to think about any _unimportant _details before she left. That was a mistake on her part. The thing is, the Box does not merely change one's surname and sends that person back. No. It gives its user a new life. Everything is new. From the very beginning.

Let me explain this using Hermione's case.

Hermione, as you know, was transported into a new body. What you didn't know, is that the body was of a baby. A baby girl, who did not exist in the _original_ timeline. In fact, the birth of this beautiful girl was the exact moment when a new timeline was created, and the old one simply faded away. All because of a girl named Hermione Rose Evans.

But that's not all. You see, Merlin knew that a baby's body would not survive a memory rush that was bound to happen. Therefore, he created a charm that would suppress the user's original memories for eleven years. The reasoning behind it was questionable, yet understandable. If a person was old enough to own a wand, he was old enough to face his destiny. Right?

So this is where the story continues. With a girl, who is about to receive a rather unpleasant birthday gift.

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><p>Chapter 2- The Plan<p>

Hermione was getting ready for bed, while Lily was going through her closet. Tomorrow was their birthday, and her sister wanted to look nice since they were going to take pictures and what not. Hermione wanted to be as excited as Lily was; she really did. But she couldn't. The reason for that was the most recent dream of hers. It was different than any other dream she ever had. It just seemed so real. As if she was actually there. In fact, even though it was completely impossible and insane, it even seemed like it was a memory. Her memory.

In the dream, she was a grown up named Hermione Granger who wanted to use a weird looking magical box. She found it in this bizarre looking house, guarded by a crazy woman in a blue cape. Hermione couldn't recall much more of the dream, but she distinctly remembered the excitement she felt when she finally touched the box. As if all of her prayers were answered.

"'Mione, are you even listening to me?" Lily interrupted her thoughts.

"What? Oh, Sorry, Lils, I was a bit out of it." Hermione replied shyly. "What were you saying?"She added.

"I was _asking_," Lily rolled her eyes. "If I could borrow your green dress for tomorrow." She seemed a bit offended by her sister's lack of interest.

"If you want to. It goes better with your red hair anyway." Hermione offered, trying to make her sister less angry. The statement was true, though. Hermione's hair was a rather dark shade of auburn. Green definitely looked much better on Lily.

"Thanks, sis." Lily smiled and put the said dress on her chair. "But I still don't understand why you're not excited." She pouted. "We're going to be eleven, 'Mione. This is the year we start Hogwarts!"

"According to Severus." Hermione corrected her sister.

"Yes." Lily hesitated. "But he is our best friend, right? We should believe him." She added not sounding so sure of herself.

Hermione didn't know what to tell Lily. On one hand, she _did_ believe Severus' stories about Hogwarts. Something inside of Hermione told her that everything he said was real, and both sisters would get those letters when the time came. Furthermore, she already knew that magic was real. There was no other way to explain the things she could do. No, that was not the reason for her small _dilemma_. The thing was, she didn't consider Severus to be one of her best friends. He was more of an acquaintance. In fact, if it wasn't for Lily, they probably wouldn't even talk to each other. Even though she enjoyed his stories (though she didn't really like the one about the house of Slytherin, for some reason), the guy was prejudiced. She noticed this _idea_ in a few of his tales. He thought that muggles (that's how he called people who didn't have magic in them) were inferior to wizards, and weren't even worth to be talked to. He basically disliked people over something they had no control over. That didn't sit well with Hermione. To her, it seemed like the stupidest thing one could think of. After all, her parents were muggles; as was her older sister Petunia. Hermione couldn't understand how someone could think of them as lesser human beings. It wasn't right. Yet, when she told all of this to Lily, her sister just waved it off. _Apparently_, Hermione misunderstood what Severus was talking about. _Yeah, right._

Despite everything, she didn't want to start an argument with her sister a day before their birthday. Therefore, Hermione decided to ignore the Severus problem. For now_._

"Of course we should believe him, Lils. I was just teasing you." Hermione tried to smile. "Are you done choosing you outfit, though? I'm really tired." She yawed stressing her point.

"Yeah, I think I'm done." Lily said while looking around the room searching for anything else she might need. The topic of Severus completely forgotten. "Let me just put everything aside, and I'll turn off the lights." She added.

"Thanks, sis. Sleep well." Hermione said trying to find a comfortable position in her bed.

"You too, 'Mione." Lily smiled.

Before she fell asleep, Hermione couldn't help but wonder whether she would dream of being Hermione Granger ever again.

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><p><em>She was sitting in a room that looked rather creepy. The paintings on the wall were talking, and didn't seem too pleased to see her there. Plus, she could also feel the negative aura of the room; as if something bad has happened in here. That, however, didn't affect her in any way. In fact, she seemed to be used to this environment and felt rather comfortable in it. <em>

_"__Hermione Granger! Were you planning to leave without saying goodbye?" Came a voice from behind her. She turned and saw a middle-aged man with red hair. _

_"__Oh no, Mr. Weasley. You know, I wouldn't do that to any of you." She felt herself answering with an amused tone. "In fact, I was just waiting for everyone to wake up." She added. _

_"__They don't want you to leave." The man said, suddenly sounding serious. _

_"__They don't want me to leave, but they know it's necessary. And so do you." She replied sounding annoyed. Hermione felt like that wasn't the first time they were having this discussion. _

_The scene changed. _

_She was standing in the same room, but there were a few other people in front of her. _

_"__Okay guys. I don't want any of you to try and talk me out of it. This is happening whether you like it or not." She started before anyone could say a word. "You know there is no other way." She added sadly._

_"__We know, Hermione. And we trust you." One of the red-haired men said. Hermione's mind told her that his name was Bill. "We just worry about you, that's all." Bill added and gave her a hug. _

_All of them proceeded to do the same until it was the turn of the red-haired woman. Instead of simply wishing her luck, she hugged Hermione and whispered into her ear, "Thank you for doing this, 'Mione. I know you will do great. Just please, please save Harry. I don't even care if he ends up with someone else; I just want him to live." She cried. _

_"__Ginny," Hermione faced the woman after returning the hug. "I promise I will do everything I can to make sure that Harry has a long, boring life." She smiled. "And don't worry. You guys were destined to be together. There is no way he could end up with anyone else." Hermione reassured the woman, wiping off the tears from her face. _

_"__Thank you, 'Mione. I needed that." Ginny said sounding grateful, and went to stand next to the others._

_The scene dissolved once more. _

_Hermione was now touching the mystery box, which was glowing white. She could sense a mixture of confidence and determination invading her mind. She felt herself looking at the crazy woman (who was now wearing a green cloak), and smiling at her. The woman smiled in return and gave her an encouraging nod. Hermione then turned back to the box, took a deep breath, and opened it. _

_Blue light surrounded her and all went dark. _

Hermione woke up with a start, feeling entirely confused. _What the hell was that?_ She didn't think it was just a dream. No, it was real, she could feel it. But what was it then? A vision of the future? _No. _That didn't seem right either. Her eyes in the_ dream_ were brown instead of green, and her hair colour was much lighter.

Before Hermione had time to come up with more theories, she felt a sudden pain in the back of her head. What was worse, the pain seemed to be increasing at each second. After a few minutes of Hermione's silent cries (she didn't want to wake Lily), it got simply unbearable. She was just about to call her mother, _who cares that it's 4 am,_ when something happened.

Thousands of faces, pictures, voices, thoughts, and, for lack of a better word, _visions_ invaded her mind; all at the same time. In addition, the pain seemed to be getting much worse, if that was even possible. To Hermione, it felt like something was trying to kill her from inside. The pain simply consumed her. She couldn't even cry anymore. In fact, she couldn't even move anymore. The only thing she _could_ do was close her eyes and hope for it to end.

After about an hour of this torture, it abruptly stopped, leaving Hermione in utter shock. However, it wasn't the sudden disappearance of the agonizing pain that left her speechless. Actually, it was just the opposite.

Hermione _remembered. _She remembered being Hermione Jean Granger, the know-it-all best friend of Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. She remembered every single detail of her old life. However, she also remembered every single detail on this life; the life of Hermione Rose Evans. _How was this even possible? _It seemed that the Box created her life from the very beginning. It was the best cover story one could ever ask, but it was literally the furthest thing from what she expected to happen.

_What's done is done._ This was her life now, right? She had to get used to it, if she wanted to achieve anything.

Okay, so she was an eleven year old fraternal twin sister of Lily Evans. She was born in 1960. So it was what? 1971? _That's good. _That meant that Voldemort wasn't acting openly yet. Hermione had time; quite a lot of it, actually.

She was also a younger sister of Petunia Evans, a woman who destroyed her best friend's childhood. _What, in the name of Merlin, happened to her? _Petunia she knew in this life was caring and loving. She would never torment a child, especially not her own _nephew_. She _was_ a bit jealous of her sisters' talents, but she didn't seem to be that affected. _Maybe she was. _Was the jealousy really all that it took for her to become such a monster? Would she become even worse now that there were two sisters to be jealous of? Was there any way to save her?

And what should she do about Snape? Was there a possibility to actually make him good? After all, he only turned to the light side, because of his love for Lily. Moreover, he merely stayed on their side, because he felt guilty. Since there was no way Hermione would let her twin sister die in this life, did that mean Snape would stay on the dark side even if she defeated Voldemort? _That would be a huge problem_. He was smart enough to become the new Dark Lord. Then again, didn't he join the Death Eaters for the sole reason of protecting Lily? Did that mean he had some decency and goodness inside of him, or that he was just strongly obsessed with her sister? She had to figure it out, before she made a mistake.

For now, however, she had to focus on the main problem- Voldemort. She needed a plan.

There were five horcruxes Hermione had yet to destroy: Riddle's diary, Marvolo Gaunt's ring, Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem, Salazar Slytherin's locket, and Helga Hufflepuff's cup. She would firstly go after the diadem. Obviously. It was the easiest one. It would be there when she got to Hogwarts, and she already knew the approximate place where it should be. _Definitely would cause fewer problems than the rest of them_. Next logical step would be to get the ring. It's already hidden in the ruins of the Gaunt's shack, so she won't have to wait. The extraction of the ring, however, might cause some major difficulties. The only information she had on the thing, was its location and what it was made of. Furthermore, the fact that even Dumbledore wasn't able to resist the temptation to use it, did not help at all. She had to be careful with that one. _Okay, next_. Well, out of the remaining three, the cup would get to its expected place first. On the other hand, that expected place was Gringotts. Even if all went well, the word would get out after the monthly check-up, and Voldemort might realise that someone was after him. _No, the cup had to be the last one_. So… Once she got the ring, she would go after the diary. Yes, that shouldn't be too difficult. Lucius didn't really care about it. Fake copy would be more than enough for him not to notice anything. She only had to figure out how to get into the Malfoy Manor undetected. And if her plan worked well, she could go and get the locket next. _Now that would definitely prove to be tricky_. Hermione would have to time it perfectly. She had to save Regulus; he deserved a life.

Of course, before Hermione started going after any of them, she had to do one more thing. She needed the sword. However, she couldn't just _ask_ Dumbledore for it. For that, she would have to give him a reason. _Not going to happen. _

Well, in all fairness, she _did_ promise the others to tell Dumbledore everything once she got here. Nevertheless, Hermione was not so sure whether that was a good idea anymore (especially considering the circumstances); or ever, for that matter. Not that he wouldn't believe her. He probably knew all about the Box and its capabilities. No, the problem was Dumbledore's manipulative and secretive nature (Hermione suspected that the Headmaster knew much more than he let on in the past future), not to mention his tendency to underestimate everyone. He would, most likely, tell her to sit back and wait for him to fix everything, because she was _too young_ to deal with 'all that evil'. His heart was in the right place, but that wouldn't work for Hermione. She would, of course, find a way to _anonymously_ help him prevent the attacks she knew about (there was no way Hermione could do it all by herself), but that was _all_ she would include him in. At least for as long as it was possible.

And that is why Hermione had to figure out how to break into the headmaster's office unnoticed, and steal the sword. Or take it and put it back afterwards; repeatedly. In any case, she didn't want to keep horcruxes for more than it took to destroy them. Especially, if there was a simple way to avoid it. So, once she had a way to _borrow_ the sword without anyone knowing about it, she could-

"Shit." Hermione swore silently when the realisation hit her. _Of course_ there was something she forgot about. _Of Course _the stupid sword of Gryffindor wouldn't work. There was no basilisk venom in it yet. _Damn. _What else could she use? Hermione didn't trust her abilities enough to use the Fiendfyre. It was too risky. Only a true expert in Dark Arts could control it. She, on the other hand, would either burn down the school and kill everyone, or destroy the _Room of Requirement _and kill herself. Plus, using the curse basically sucked the goodness out of its castor and replaced it by the never-ending darkness.

As much as she hated to admit, there was only one option left.

"Great." Hermione couldn't believe this was actually happening. "I'll have to kill the damn serpent."

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><p><strong>AN: Two chapters done. Yay! How did you find it? I know this chapter was shorter than the last one, but I had to end it there. Sorry :( I should also warn you that the next one will be of a similar length. It will be the Diagon Alley/Hogwarts' express thing. As you probably understand, there isn't much I can do there :) I will, however, try and make it as interesting as I can, so please don't give up on me :) By the way… I want to clarify that by 'serpent' (last sentence) I meant the basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets. You probably got it anyway, but you know… Better safe than sorry :) One more thing… I know there are few other things that can destroy Horcruxes. But, since they are basically as bad as horcruxes themselves, or impossible to find, I decided to ignore their existence (at least for now), and let Hermione have fun with the basilisk. Thank you for reading! **


	3. Chapter 3- The Thoughts

**A/N: Hey, guys! I am so sorry for taking so long. My last year of uni just started, and things are a bit hectic at the moment. I will try to do better, however. Because I kept you waiting for so long, the next chapter will be up on Sunday, I promise. By the way, this chapter turned out to be different from what I originally planned. I wanted to give the good view of everything and everyone, and it just took a lot of space lol Next chapter will have more dialogue and interesting stuff, so I hope you'll keep on reading. Thank you all for reading this story, it really means a lot to me. I know I said it before, but I love all of you! (Btw, THIS A/N WILL TAKE LONG, SO YOU CAN JUST SKIP IT). **

**Important information: The facts in this story will only be taken from the books or Pottermore (and in some cases classical literature). I know some of my awesome readers suggested additional things taken from other sites (e.g. wands made out of three woods and two cores), and I really apologise, but that's the way I want it to be. I hope you can respect my decision. And as sad as it would be, I'll understand, if you stop reading the story because of this. **

**On the other note… I got a review that questioned whether or not I write my own reviews (as a guest) in order to 'boost my review number up' or something. Okay… First of all, I didn't know that was even a 'thing'. I mean, why would anyone do that? For me, as an author of this story, the reviews are important, because they tell me if the chapter was okay, and whether something was incorrect, or should be changed. For me, as a reader, reviews never really mattered. I used to only skim through them to see if they said 'terrible' or 'awesome'. Therefore, I do not even see the point of writing a guest review on my own story. If my story was really bad, and I wrote a review saying that it was awesome, someone would contradict that anyway. And, to be honest, I am kind of insulted and sad that anyone would think so. I started this story for selfish reasons. I read basically all Hermione related stories and I just wanted another one. The easiest way was just to write one. I had an idea that I thought was good, and I just went with it. I am not doing this for the numbers (though to be honest, they do make me happy) and even if I did, I don't think review count would be the way to go about it. So… To my guest reviewer, who called himself/herself 'NotElizabeth': I have no idea why some of my guest readers are so active. I guess there are a lot of creative options in this story. But if you would look closer, they are not really praising my work; they are suggesting stuff for next chapters or in some cases, have criticism in them. Now, how would that increase the popularity of the story? By the way… You say you are an author who thinks that these guest reviews are fake, but you wrote a review as a guest. Isn't that slightly hypocritical? How people know that I didn't write your comment? Or do you think that all negative guest reviews must be real? Kind of contradicting yourself right there. And what would you like me to do? Ban the guest reviews, so you could be reassured? Or just the positive ones? I understand where you're coming from. Those have some pretty detailed stuff in them, and I wish all of those readers got accounts so I could reply them in private messages, but should I block their review just because they're long? I guess the bottom line of this is… I don't and I would never do that. And, to be honest, I don't think anyone has ever done that. Even the idea of it is weird. But, you can of course think what you want if it makes you feel better. Though I would appreciate if the next time you didn't write it as a guest (Actually, I allowed this _guest_ review to be on, just to clear things up), so I could actually reply in a private message instead of annoying remarkable people with this long A/N. Cheers. **

**I do not own anything you recognize (I wish I did, though). **

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><p>Chapter 3 - The Thoughts<p>

"Hermione! How are you still in bed? Wake up!" Lily shouted.

"Let me sleep, Lils." Came Hermione's muffled response. "I've had a really rough night. Barely got any sleep at all" She decided not to include the '_oh and my life got completely turned upside down as well_' part.

"But it's our birthday!" Her sister complained.

"And it won't stop being our birthday if I sleep for five more minutes. Please, Lily." Hermione begged.

"Fine!" Her sister threw her arms in the air. "I'm going downstairs and I'll wait for you there." She continued. "But if you're not there, all dressed up and ready, in twenty minutes, I'm coming back with a bucket of ice cold water!" Lily finished and left the room.

When she left, Hermione let out a breath she's been holding. She still couldn't get her head around what has happened. She thought sleep would help, but it just made it worse. All Hermione could see in her dreams (for those two hours she managed to sleep afterwards), were the memories of her friends' deaths. With _great_ detail. She wondered if that was all she would dream of from now on. It was as if her mind wanted Hermione to remember the reason she was sent here. _Not like the reminder was needed. _

Hermione signed, got up, and went to the shower. It was time to face the reality.

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><p>After her daily routine was done, Hermione stopped to look at the mirror before she left. She saw the same reflection for the last eleven years, but having her old memories back made Hermione look closer. She couldn't help but compare herself to the old Hermione (a.k.a. Hermione Granger). She still had the same skin tone (just slightly darker than her twin's), and a similar bone structure as before. In addition, her weight and height were basically the same to those from her first time around (though, to be perfectly honest, Lily's built was quite comparable; so that might have been a coincidence). But everything else... Everything else was different. Her eyes were probably the biggest and the most important change of all. The emerald green of Harry's eyes was now seen in Hermione's own reflection. Yet another <em>aide-mémoire<em> of what she had to fight for. But that was not all. Gone was Hermione's bushy, light hair. Instead, she had dark-brown hair with a shade of auburn that was relatively sleek; with only a few waves here and there. She loved it. However, not as much as she loved her teeth. _Perfectly straight. Thank Merlin_. As shallow as it sounded, she was glad for those changes. Being called all those names in the past only reduced her self-esteem and caused a lot of tears. At least now she wouldn't have to deal with any of that. _Silver linings, right? _

When Hermione finally gathered up the courage and went downstairs, she saw the whole family getting ready to have breakfast. Her mother (a beautiful blonde, ex-nurse named Rhea Evans) was making eggs, while her dad (well built, dark haired head-engineer of the British Motor Corporation – Henry Evans) was reading the newspaper. Even her sisters were busy, discussing the upcoming end of the school year trip. None of them seem to notice Hermione, who was standing in the corner and observing all of her family members.

Once again her mind seemed to put both of her lives side by side. _Family. _Now that was something the old Hermione had a little recollection of. The war took everything from her. Yes, her plan of protecting her parents has worked. And yes, she did manage to restore their memories. However, it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. Obliviation is a tricky business. That's why it's usually used to completely remove the information from a person's mind; without an intention to ever bring back those memories. Hermione did her best, but her parents' memories still seemed rather _second-handed_. As if they were something her parents watched on the tv rather than felt and lived through. But they remembered her and that was enough at that point. After all, it was a small price to pay for their safety. It only got worse afterwards, though. Her parents never seemed to restore their unconditional love for Hermione. It was more like she was their distant relative, who they enjoyed talking to. Plus, Hermione's parents stayed in Australia. Therefore, she wasn't even able to visit them as frequently. And when the chaos started after Harry's death, she barely had enough time to send them a letter. With all the madness going on in her life, Hermione thought she would never be able to feel that parental love ever again.

But now, now she had another opportunity; an opportunity to appreciate her new family and all the little things. In all honesty, Hermione was really lucky to be sent to the Evans family. She could feel that her parents' love was truly unreserved (no wonder Lily grew up to be so loving and sacrificed herself for Harry). Besides, she had sisters. That was something Hermione Granger has always wished for. Yes, she had Ron and Harry in the past, but that was not the same. First of all, Ron situation was complicated from the very beginning, and there were always some feelings involved. They were _never_ just friends. Even after their breakup, Hermione felt some tension between them. Harry, on the other hand, was a whole different story. She did have some brotherly feelings towards him. But they were best friends above all. Their family-like relationship was only seen in the fact, that they had no romantic feelings towards each other. She never asked him for relationship advice or anything of that sort. Moreover, both of her friends felt really uncomfortable in quite a few situations involving her, e.g. when Hermione was distressed. They were used to seeing her strong, so her tears were something that left guys confused and utterly useless (Ginny was helpful in those occurrences, but the girls never developed a strong bond between them). _Sometimes a girl just needs a sister or two._

Speaking of sisters, Hermione was still not sure what to do about Petunia. Thinking about her past life, made her remember some of Harry's old stories about his aunt. He always stressed that Petunia was jealous not only of her sister's magical capabilities, but also of Lily herself, and all of the attention she was getting from their parents. It was something that simply didn't make sense to Hermione. It was obvious to her that their parents loved all of them equally, and didn't put that much emphasis on the fact that two of their daughters could do some extraordinary things. They were proud, yes, but they didn't say anything to imply that the twins were better than Petunia. Moreover, her 13 year old sister was the smartest student in her class, and she was definitely on the _pretty _side as well. She had a long, strawberry blond hair that fit her light skin tone perfectly, and a tall, slim figure that would make a lot of girls jealous. She was also kind and sensitive. Everyone loved her; Hermione included. Therefore, there was absolutely no motive for her to feel inadequate based on those reasons. The more Hermione thought about that, the weirder it seemed. Eventually, she came to a conclusion that Petunia's jealousy of Lily's magic (and now Hermione's too), made her think less of herself and create further reasons for hatred in her own mind. In the end, she was an overachiever. Snape pointing out that she was just a muggle, didn't help the situation either. Not having an ability to do something that her sisters did so effortlessly, almost certainly made her frustrated (similar to how Hermione felt in her first flying lesson at Hogwarts).

And that was the other thing that bothered Hermione. Having a strong control over the magic at such young age, was not a common occurrence. Especially not amongst the muggleborns, who didn't even know what magic was at that point. However, both Lily and Hermione were able to do the magic _intentionally. _Making flowers levitate or flying (_literally)_ off the swings, wasn't really supposed to be possible without a wand. She also realised that their magic was more advanced than Snape's (which was interesting to know, considering what an accomplished wizard he grew up to be). Severus _was_ able to do what he wanted, but his magic was powered by emotions rather than formulated thoughts. Hermione didn't know how she felt about that. On one hand, not knowing where the control came from scared her a little bit. On the other hand, it meant that they were magically strong. If she was smart enough with her training, this could turn out to be a huge advantage.

Before she could get into the planning mode, she was finally noticed by her family. After all the "happy birthdays" and "thank you's" were exchanged, they continued with a casual conversation.

"So, girls." Her mother started. "Your father and I were thinking that after the school we could have a little shopping time and maybe go to the zoo. Would you like that?"

"Yes!" All three girls eagerly agreed.

"Very well, ladies, it settled then." Mr. Evans laughed.

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><p>The day passed quickly for Hermione. School was boring, shopping was fun, the zoo was entertaining, and all the presents were fascinating (especially the silver charm bracelets that both twins received from their parents). However, she couldn't properly enjoy any of that, because all she could think about was her mission. In fact, that was all she could think about for the next two months.<p>

Hermione's number one priority was the Chamber of Secrets. It was a hard task, and before she could be successful, she had to train her _new_ body and magic. Hermione remembered Aurora telling her that the magic would travel with her, but it still felt slightly different. She had to get used to it before she could take action. Apart from training, Hermione also had to come up with a foolproof plan. Failing, especially at this stage, was not an option. She already knew how to get into the chamber (Hermione still had a memory of the night when Ron opened it), but she still had to figure out what to do after. First of all, she had to make the basilisk show itself. She didn't know how to call it, so she would have to find out what attracts it. Then came the tricky part. She remembered her research in second year about the basilisk; that is why she knew that the crowing of the rooster is fatal to it. However, what she didn't know was whether the basilisk would still survive, if it managed to get away quickly. Hermione would, of course, search the library for that once she got to Hogwarts, but she wasn't sure there was anything to be found. The worst case scenario, she would have to figure out how to keep the serpent in one place long enough so that the rooster could do its job. If she was being honest, even if the books said that a second was enough, she would still look for a way to trap it just in case. _Better safe than sorry._

Those were the kind of thoughts that were constantly appearing in Hermione's mind. She was thinking about all the stages of her mission, the Horcruxes, and the battle that would follow, if she was successful. However, she also understood that being overly optimistic wasn't the wisest choice. On the other hand, she didn't want to share the information with anyone; at least not yet. The most reasonable option that Hermione could think of was a creation of a diary of some sort, which would only show the information once she was dead. The more Hermione thought about it, the more she liked the idea. Every time she went out on a mission, she could leave the diary at some place where Lily could find it (Hermione didn't know if she could trust anyone else yet. Living in the past could become a cause of some major loyalty changes. She couldn't risk putting priceless information into the wrong hands; first she had to be sure they were on her side). Hermione would write the whole story. Everything that has happened. The information she had on Voldemort and the future, what she managed to achieve in this timeline; all would be there. She would also encourage Lily to share the information with the people she trusted the most (Snape excluded. The information was too significant; who knows if he wouldn't become tempted to use it for the wrong reasons). That way, Hermione would at least know that there could still be a chance to bring the noseless bastard down. Of course, she would still think about the other ways to guarantee the positive outcome; preferably, while ensuring her sister's safety. For now, however, this idea seemed rather appealing; even though the means for creating it would require some '_grey area' _magic.

All this planning had an effect on Hermione's life. The thoughts were consuming her. She promised herself she would appreciate the new life, but Hermione wasn't really concentrating on it. She did have quite a few happy moments, playing board games with her family, spending time with Lily and Snape, and all that, but she was mostly scheming. Her only hope was that once she has figured out most of the details, she could have some fun in between the mission's stages. It was sad, however. The only time she actually managed to stop planning for a bit, was almost a week ago when the Hogwarts' letters arrived and they got a visit from professor McGonagall.

_-Flashback-_

_The whole family was eating dinner when they heard a knock on the door. _

_"__I'll get it." Hermione exclaimed. _

_When she opened the door, she couldn't believe her own eyes. There, in front of her, stood her beloved Hogwarts teacher. Of course, it made sense. When Hermione was eleven for the first time, she was also visited by one of the Hogwarts' professors. It took ages before her parents believed that their only daughter was an actual witch. _

_Professor McGonagall looked much younger than Hermione remembered, but she still had that look about her that said 'do not mess with me'. Her hair was in a bun, as usual, and everything about her was simply _proper_. _

_"__Hello, dear." The professor greeter her. "I am here to talk to Mr. and Mrs. Evans. Are they at home?" _

_"__Oh, uhm, yes, they are." Hermione finally managed to speak. "Mum! Dad! There is a woman here who wants to speak with you." She shouted in the general direction of the living room._

_When both of her parents showed up, they froze on the spot. After all, Mrs. McGonagall was wearing deep green robes instead of a normal muggle attire (which, surprisingly, Hermione failed to notice). _

_"__Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Evans. I am Professor Minerva McGonagall and I am a representative of Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I would like to talk about the future of your two daughters: Lily and Hermione. May I come in?" Mrs. McGonagall asked. _

_Both of Hermione's parents were too shocked to say anything, so Mrs. McGonagall just stepped in. When all of them were seated in the living room, the Professor continued. _

_"__As you've probably noticed already, two of your daughters are occasionally able to do some things that could not be explained by science." She started. _

_Both Rhea and Henry Evans, still slightly confused, just nodded at that. It wasn't really a secret. They knew about twins' abilities since the girls changed their clothes' colours at the age of two. _

_"__Great." Said Mrs. McGonagall. "Then you will probably won't be surprised when I tell you that all those things were done with a help of magic."_

_"__Magic?" Rhea Evans asked, thinking that she probably misheard the professor. _

_"__Yes, magic." Mrs. McGonagall calmly replied, took out her wand, and transfigured their table into a pig. When she got the reaction she wanted (which was total and complete amazement), she transfigured it back and continued. "Mr. and Mrs. Evans, your daughters are witches, and I, on the behalf of Hogwarts, would like to offer them a place at our school." She put in. "Believe me when I say that it would in their best interest to attend. Outbursts of magic are dangerous; therefore, they need to learn how to control them and use their magic properly." _

_"__But we already know how to control it." Lily seemed to recover the fastest (well, besides Hermione, of course). She wasn't surprised that she was a witch. After all, Snape told that same thing to both sisters a million times._

_"__Excuse me?" The professor sounded confused. _

_"__What my sister is trying to say." Hermione tried to help. "Is that we know how to do relatively simple magic intentionally. We realized that we can control it at the age of around four or five." She didn't really want to share this information, but Lily would do it anyway, so there was no other option. _

_"__Really?" Mrs. McGonagall furrowed her brow. "That means that you are going to grow up as very powerful witches. Yes, girls from a muggle family who can control something they don't really understand? Impressive." The professor seemed to be lost in her own thoughts. "Well, in that case, Hogwarts is almost essential to the twins." Mrs. McGonagall redirected her attention to the parents, who seemed to finally understand what was happening. "They would learn how to develop their magic and use it wisely. I'm sure they would become to be a great addition to the wizarding community." _

_"__Wizarding community?" Mr. Evans almost chocked. "But how? Where? Since when there is an actual wizarding _community_?"_

_Professor seemed to be expecting this question. She told all of them about the wizarding world, money, clothes, Hogwarts, the Ministry of Magic and their laws, and anything else that they've asked about. Most importantly, after everyone finally agreed that the girls should go to Hogwarts, she gave the twins their letters and told them about the Diagon Alley, including how to get there. _

_"__I recommend going there next week." The professor stated. "All of the students got the letters today, so there would be too many people around. However, if you wait for too long, the shops might run out of the required items, which would cause you having to schedule another trip."_

_"__That sound reasonable, Mrs. McGonagall. Thank you." Said Rhea Evans. _

_"__No problem, Mrs. Evans. Thank you for taking the news so well." Mrs. McGonagall rewarded the woman with one of her rare smiles. "And I look forward to seeing you two in Hogwarts." She added to the twins, said her goodbyes, and left. _

_What surprised Hermione more than Mrs. McGonagall's sudden appearance , was Petunia's reaction to all of this. She did not say a word for the whole conversation. She just sat there, politely pretending to listen, not really paying attention to anything that was being said. When the professor left, Petunia stood up and just went to her room without uttering a word. _She had to do something about her sister's jealousy issues. _Hermione saw that their parents exchanged worried looks and signed, but still tried to appear happy, since Lily was basically jumping on the couch (screaming something that sounded like 'We are going to Hogwarts. Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God), and trying to get Hermione involved. _

_"__Okay girls, calm down!" Mrs. Evans laughed. "You will have plenty of time to cheer later."_

_"__I just cannot believe it." Lily relaxed and sat on the couch. "We are really going to Hogwarts! And to the Diagon Alley! We will see all the wizarding stuff!" She added. "When are we going there?" Her enthusiasm was contagious. _

_"__Well, I think we should listen to the Professor and go next week. What do you guys think?" He asked everyone, though it was mostly oriented towards his wife. _

_"__I think that's a great idea, Henry." Mrs. Evans replied. "Okay, girls, it's decided. We are going next week." She stated and laughed when Lily started to clap enthusiastically. "Now, help me do the dishes and go get ready for bed."_

* * *

><p><em>That night, Lily and Hermione were discussing what they thought it would be like to study at Hogwarts, surrounded by all the magical students. They also wondered (well at least Lily did and Hermione was playing along), what the Diagon Alley would look like and whether they could get some additional books from the bookstore or owls that were apparently really useful. <em>

_Suddenly, Lily sat up in her bed and turned to her sister. _

_"'__Mione, do you think we should ask Sev to come with us? His situation at home isn't that great and I know he would like to spend the time there with us. Don't you agree?" Lily asked. _

_"__Yes, Lily, of course." Hermione answered. "We just need to ask mum and dad first." _

_Hermione agreed with Lily on this one. Snape's family really was not something she would consider appropriate. They weren't beating him or anything of that sort (as far as Hermione knew), but it was bad. His parents were arguing constantly, they didn't pay attention to Severus at all, and his dad was almost completely against anything related to magic. The family also didn't have that much money. Severus' dad usually couldn't keep a job for a long time due to his alcohol problem, and he didn't allow his wife to work in the wizarding world, even though it was all she knew how to do. Hermione realized that all of those things were the reasons for his slightly unhealthy attachment to Lily. He wanted to feel appreciated, and Lily (being the kind hearted, selfless person she was) provided that for him. Hermione tried to do that too, but being in her old professor's presence was a bit uncomfortable. She was still a bit suspicious about his true loyalties and his feeling towards Lily, which did not reflect well on their friendship. _

_-End of Flashback-_

After Lily and Hermione simply asked their parents if they could take Severus with them to Diagon Alley, they agreed (Hermione thought that they probably knew all about Snape's living arrangements, since they were more than happy to comply, and actually told the girls that it was really nice of them to include him). It didn't take long to convince Mr. and Mrs. Snape either; apparently, both of his parents just nodded when Mrs. Evans asked them.

While everyone was excited about the trip, Hermione was slightly indecisive about how she felt. Diagon Alley would, of course, provide her with the most important thing – her wand, but what scared her was a possibility of recognizing the people. More specifically, what if she met James Potter? Everyone always said that he looked just like Harry, and all of the old pictures confirmed it. What kind of behavior their meeting would cause? Would she go into shock? Would she run to him and hug him? Would she just start crying? Or would she be able to handle it? _Well, there is only way to find out, I guess._

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So? What did you guys think? I didn't want their parents to actually ignore Petunia. I do believe that parents love all their children equally. I mean, they would probably be proud about all of the capabilities, but that would not be a good enough reason to neglect another child, right? Anyway, thank you for reading, and I hope you liked it. Feel free to express your general thoughts, complaints, and suggestions in reviews. As I've said before, compliments are preferred, but constructive criticism is also appreciated. **


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